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Introducing SpunOut.ie's Super Heroes 2011
Be inspired by the amazing projects SpunOut.ie is supporting!
In February we launched the SpunOut.ie Super Hero Grants. We had so many brilliant applications and it really upset us that we couldn't give grants to everyone who applied. However, in the end, after shaking our money jar until the last one cent coin fell out, our panel selected eleven projects.
So here in no particular order, are the eleven Super Hero Projects, all of whom have already been sent out their cheques to get these great ideas underway. They’ll be keeping us posted on how they get on.
All of the Super Heroes will also receive tickets to the Possiblities.ie super extravaganza summit of social change that SpunOut.ie is running with two partner organisations. What’s more, they will all be entered in our competition to be named the SpunOut.ie Super Hero of the Year 2011 (details coming later) where they have the chance of being awarded a further €500 award.
Dan O' Neill got a super hero grant to help him promote and develop his great and much needed political blog ‘Tea and Toast.ie’.
Ciara Moloughney was awarded a grant to organise an alternative music-based event for younger and older people in Galway – her plan is to run a swing dancing lesson followed by a swing band and a DJ in a town centre venue. The whole night will be drink and drug free. She plans to have exotic drinks and some finger food available, and also to hopefully run audio visuals by local artists throughout the night. If her first one is a success, she plans to keep on doing them, which is what we like to hear.
Brian O' Connell was awarded a grant on behalf of Dublin Circus Project, who hope to develop their organisation in order to do community shows and workshops for young people. They also hope to eventually build up the project until they have a permanent base in Dublin.
Craig Peppard was awarded a grant for a project (‘Planning for Real’) that he wants to do with his friends from the Ray Youth Cafe in Trim. This project involves building a model of their estate, as well as a campaign to get media coverage and draw attention to what his community needs and how they live. They also intend to invite all the local politicians and decision-makers to hear a presentation of what life is like for the young people in the area.
Carole McGuinness was awarded a Super Hero Grant to run a one – day volunteer Expo in Mullingar to encourage everyone to get involved in their community. As 2011 is the EU year of the Volunteer, and because many people are unemployed with time on their hands at the moment, we thought this was a great idea and the right time for it.
Michelle O' Grady applied on behalf of herself and her friend Sarah Harte. They are going to run and organise a SpunOut.ie fundraiser for us (yes that’s right - us here at SpunOut.ie). And not just any old fundraiser, these women have plans that you are sure to be excited about! Can’t tell you yet though, it’s a secret. :)
Leah Yeung was awarded a grant to help her organise her really imaginative idea of a ‘Roadtrip nation’ event that will gather up inspirational speakers for a one day summit, aimed at helping young people figure out what they really want to do with themselves and how to set about doing it.
Sinead McKiernan was awarded a grant to run a ‘We love Galway’ workshop and art project with up to ten young people in Galway and to exhibit the results of their collaboration in the city.
Chris O' Mahony, who also took part in SpunOut.ie’s Academy of Activism last year, is still out there change-making. She was awarded a grant for a project to promote turn2me.org, a new peer to peer, mental health support community. She is planning to promote this organisation in universities around the country.
Christivan and Juvan Maritz were awarded a grant for the lovely ‘Adopt a Tree’ project on their estate in Balrothery. They have plans to get their neighbours involved in protecting the young trees in their neighbourhood, through a street feast and adoption scheme.
Liam Duffy, a young writer from Galway, was awarded a grant to help him get going with his ambitious project to edit and publish an Artistic Atlas that features creative work, art, writing and photography by people who have been inspired by places in Galway. Our panel thought it was a great idea to celebrate where we are from, instead of focusing on all the negativity around at the moment.
We wish them all the best of luck with their projects. We also hope that anyone who wasn’t successful with their application will keep an eye out for the next time we run the Super Hero Grants scheme and apply again.
